Voting rights roundup

By Kira Dault |Print |Share

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This summer, the Supreme Court made a ruling that gutted Section 4 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965[1]. Since then, Draconian laws have been passed in Texas, North Carolina, Virginia, and other places. But the fight is far from over.

Then on Tuesday of this week, Attorney General Eric Holder called for a repeal of laws that disenfranchise people who have been convicted of a felony[4]. The laws sometimes prohibit a person from voting for their entire life. Mr. Holder said in his speech, “Those swept up in this system too often had their rights rescinded, their dignity diminished, and the full measure of their citizenship revoked for the rest of their lives,” Mr. Holder said. “They could not vote.”

We have covered this topic before, and the news was particularly big all the way back in June. But the urgency has not lessened. We need to call upon Congress to assure that all citizens have a right to cast their votes and let their voices be heard. Because we cannot have a truly just nor a truly free society until even those who might normally be discounted are able to stand up and have their say.